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Significance of Dog Training and Its Influence on Behavior

Understanding the Benefits of Canine Education: Exploring the Relationship Between Training and Behavior Modification

By AlliPublished about a year ago 6 min read
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Significance of Dog Training and Its Influence on Behavior
Photo by Murilo Viviani on Unsplash

Significance of Dog Training and Its Influence on Behavior

Training and behavior adjustment for dogs is an important component of being a responsible pet owner. Common behavioral issues need to be identified. These issues need to be fully understood so that it van be properly addressed. This can provide an opportunity for owners to strengthen their relationship with their dog. This in turn will help to create a healthy and happy household for both the family and the dog.

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Effective Communication

It is paramount that a clear communication channel is established and that the necessary boundaries are set. Basic commands such as "sit", "stay" and "come" can be used. These commands can help the dog to understand what type of behaviour is expected from them. It will also help the dog to feel a sense of security and can help to address certain behaviors such as digging, chewing and barking. It will enforce structure and help guide behavior.

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Positive reinforcement: Rewarding Good Behavior

Positive reinforcement is an efficient and popular approach to train dogs. This method is based on rewarding your dog when good behavior is practiced. The rewards can include treats, praise, padding your dog or any other positive reinforcement. This will help the dog to make a connection between good behavior and receiving rewards. It is a way to establish positive habits as the dog will know that in order to receive a treat, he/she will need to behave in a certain manner such as obeying commands etc. The approach can be applied to instill a variety of behaviors in your dog. These behaviors range from obeying simple commands to performing certain tricks and developing various skills.

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Significance of Socialization

It is also important that your dog learns how to properly socialize. Your dog needs to learn how to behave with other animals and people, and how to act in different environments. This will involve gradually exposing your dog to people or animals that he/she has not seen/interacted with before. You can expose your dogs to new environments such as walking with your dog in the park or on the beach etc. By repeating this process, your dog will adapt to and learn from these new experiences. The dog will become more confident and well-mannered when encountering these unique scenarios in future. This will help to reduce aggression and fearfulness when your dog is confronted with these scenarios in future. Socialization is crucial for the early development of puppies and will help to ensure appropriate behavior in future.

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Problem of Aggression

A common behavior-related problem that is faced by many dog owners is that of aggressive behavior. This can occur in the form of growling, biting and barking. The owner needs to identify the causes of the aggressive behavior and take care to properly understand it. Certain measures can be utilized to address the aggression:

  • Receiving guidance from a behaviorist/professional trainer
  • Change the routines, training techniques or environment of the dog
  • Give more attention/love to the dog. Regularly play with dog so that he/she can get rid of some of their energy in a positive way. Keep rewarding good behavior and refrain from getting too angry when your dog is not behaving appropriately.
  • Get another dog. If you only have one dog then maybe the dog is lonely and seek a companion.
  • Let the dog live inside the house. If your dog is living outside then maybe you can create a stronger bond with your dog by allowing it to live inside the house with you. This can help to reduce aggression and make your dog more loving and caring. This will however require house training your dog so that he/she can carry out there other ‘business’ outside. This may prove to be too difficult of a task for this option to be viable. Dogs living in the house comes with its own set of problems and this needs to be carefully considered before undertaking this course of action. House training will be discussed in the next sections.
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Separation Anxiety and How To Deal With It

Separation anxiety is also a behavioral challenge that is commonly observed and needs to be taken into account. This is characterized by the dog becoming unusually stressed or anxious when left alone. It can lead to destructive and negative behaviors such as chewing random things and digging. A mix of behavior adjustment methods and training techniques can be used to remedy separation anxiety. A popular approach that can be used involves desensitizing and counter-conditioning the dog which will help the dog link isolation with positive emotions and experiences.

Adequate House Training

House training also forms a significant part of adequately training your dog. Certain routines need to be put in place and training techniques need to be applied consistently. Be patient with your dog as it will take some time to establish the required routines and pattern of behaviors. Refrain from using punishment as far as possible during your training as it can lead to unnecessary and unwanted fear. Punishment can also harm the bond you have your dog and create mistrust or resentment.

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Impact of Mental Stimulation

Dog training is also associated with providing your dog with sufficient mental stimulation to keep their minds fresh and active. Dogs are intelligent and therefore require to be adequately challenged on a mental level. It will improve their happiness and keep them healthy. Training sessions, toys involving a puzzle that needs to be solved and other mentally interactive games can be used.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to train your dogs and make the necessary behavior adjustments. It is your responsibility as a pet owner. This will strengthen your bond with your dog and create a happy environment. Rewarding good behavior is an efficient approach to dog training and can be used to develop a variety of behaviors and advanced skills. Socialization is a key component of dog development and training and needs to start at a young age. Various measures can be used to address aggression such as utilizing a professional trainer or amending the routines, training techniques and environment of the dog. Separation anxiety can cause destructive behavior and can be remedied through desensitization and counter-conditioning. House training refers to setting clear routines and exercising those routines consistently. Dogs require consistent mental stimulation to keep them happy and healthy.

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Alli

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